


it's all we know

by XeauxGhough



Series: Dusk Till Dawn [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Emotional Constipation, Enemies to Friends, Episode: s01e09 The Waterbending Scroll, Friends to Catching Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, Just Another Sokka Gets Kidnapped AU That No One Asked For, Kidnapping, M/M, Nightmares, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:00:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24052504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XeauxGhough/pseuds/XeauxGhough
Summary: Sokka gets captured and taken prisoner aboard Zuko's ship.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Dusk Till Dawn [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1735198
Comments: 22
Kudos: 213





	it's all we know

Sokka shot awake.

A scream caught in his throat as he ripped his boomerang from its holster and hurled it blindly out into the night. A mass of shadow screeched, black and white fur flying up from Sokka’s chest and barely dodging the bladed edge slicing past. Sokka’s breath was ragged as he locked eyes to where the figure had disappeared behind Appa’s discarded saddle.

His entire being jolted again as the sharp clang of metal rang out into the clearing, his focus shot to where his boomerang had ricocheted off a boulder and landed near the edge of the forest, decidedly not coming back.

Sokka sat motionless for a moment, then buried his eyes in his palms, his pulse sick in his veins. Nightmares were still clinging in the back of his mind, thick and gluey, sliding down his throat like syrup he couldn’t swallow. Clashing steel and fire blasts. Firenation soldiers with their masks, like skulls. Pirates, reptilian birds, rows and rows of teeth trying to swallow him whole. His nightmares stood haunting shadows around him, between the trees, in the night. He could _feel_ them watching.

But Sokka made himself look anyway, despite the fear, eyes flickering out to the tree line.

The forest was loud, alive. Cheers from all sorts of insects and birds of prey hunting in the dark echoed out. Bull frogs sounded off from along the nearby river, and in the distance, he could make out the cry of wolves. Sokka breathed, he listened, muscles held tense until he was certain the forest would remain undisturbed. Until he was sure there were no soldiers. No fire. No teeth.

Slowly the ghosts vanished, shadows settling as his dreams finally dissipated and his eyes adjusted to the soft moonlight shining down on him.

Momo poked his head out from behind the saddle. His pearlescent eyes studied Sokka, wide and uncertain.

Sokka’s anger diminished as quick as it came. He let out his breath in a hiss, watching two large ears flickering up then back against Momo’s head.

“ _Stupid lemur_.” He threw out halfheartedly, more relieved than irritated that it had been Momo who had startled him. Sokka let his shoulders drop, drained. He felt his pulse slow from frantic, to mildly disturbed as he watched the lemur slowly climb back out of his hiding place and continue scampering around the campsite. Sokka could only shake his head. One day he was going to accidentally get the little menace, if he kept scaring him like that. And then he’d never hear the last of it from Aang.

He stretched and yawned, feeling the bones in his spine align with a few satisfying _pop_ s. With a heavy sigh he glanced over to where his boomerang lay discarded by the trees and gravel. Sokka laid back down and reached for his pillow instead, deciding that it could wait until morning. If he got up now, he’d be awake until the sun rose, and he couldn’t handle another night of no sleep.

The spirits were on his side, tonight, though. Exhaustion was still clinging to his limbs, and Sokka embraced it, letting his eyes close.

Momo screeched.

Sokka’s eyes flew back open, irate. A curse was on the tip of his tongue before he found Momo’s figure sat perfectly still, perched on a mossy stone bordering the clearing. One of those long ears twitched up towards the trees, and his eyes gawked wide, out into the darkness.

Minutes went by like that. Momo frozen, focused on something deep in the woods. Sokka studied him, the silence icing over his skin the longer nothing happened. He debated ignoring it, but, unable to get rid of the bad feeling festering in his chest, he rose to his elbows and squinted further into the shadows, past Momo, determined to find whatever it was the lemur was fixated on.

But as he waited, more and more ‘nothing’ happened, until eventually he gave up with a shrug and pushed the feeling away. It was hard telling whatever Momo was obsessed with out there. Bugs, maybe. An Owlhawk sitting too close. Either way, the forest seemed unconcerned, therefore so would Sokka. He took one more look around the campsite before relaxing into bed for the _third_ time.

Sokka huffed and shuffled onto his side, wrapping the blanket around him tight, eyes hidden in the fabric to block out the moon. The tension bled out of him again, and he sighed, feeling his muscles finally ease. His heart steady. He drifted. Thoughts of water and ice, cool and calm, circled around and around in his mind, peacefully.

His eyes ripped open.

Sokka wrenched the blanket away, ears ringing with blood as he stared.

Momo was gone from where he had left him, that mossy stone abandoned. Appa was where he had collapsed a few feet away and slept on, snoring, undisturbed. Sokka could hear Aang breathing beside him, sprawled out and listless, but Katara-

He stared at her bedroll, half convinced he was wrong, that the shadows were back, clouding his eyes and making shapes where there weren’t. But his eyes focused, and Sokka shot to his feet. He leapt over Aang, crouching towards his sister’s things, frantic.

The heat was long gone from her sheets, coat missing, boots gone.

And then Sokka heard it.

A scream, piercing sharp and thin through the static of the woods.

_Katara_

He was sprinting before he could think to wake Aang, retrieving his boomerang from the ground as he shot past it. The sick jolt of panic pushed through, _forward_ , and the trees engulfed him, tunneling his sister’s cries right to his ears and urging him even faster. He dodged the brush and trunks if he could, but as the paths narrowed with overgrowth, Sokka just tore straight through. Only the sick thought of _danger_ was left in his head. Weapon ready, head down against the branches, _danger, danger- KATARA!_

She shouted again, closer this time, sending ice pouring down Sokka’s spine. His head snapped towards her voice, where he could see moonlight spilling into the dense woods. He tore through the undergrowth and razor bushes, thorns sinking into his flesh and _ripping_ , but he didn’t stop. He could hear water, the river. The trees began to thin and then there was sky again, stars, a _clearing_. With one last swipe of his blade, Sokka burst through, slashing through vines and stumbling out into open air.

He spotted her instantly.

Katara reeled at his sudden appearance, terror clear on her face. Sokka saw and rounded her, instinctively putting himself and his blade between Katara and whatever danger stood looming.

“ _K-Katara!_ ” Sokka strangled out, fear high in his throat, mind wild. His vision swam, trying to catch on whatever it was Katara must have been fighting. The steel in his hands trembled, knees threatening to give. His heart was thundering in his chest and still screaming _danger_ through his veins, but he couldn’t _see_ \- _he couldn’t find_ -

There was nothing there. Nothing but them and the water splashing up on the bank. Sokka flashed over his shoulder, back to his sister, holding his stance.

“ _W-what is it!?_ ” Sokka panted, meeting her eyes briefly and only feeling bolstered by the worry clearly there. He gripped his boomerang tighter, twisting back to the clearing to search again. “ _What’s wrong!?_ ”

“ _What are you talking about!?_ ” She hissed back, her voice low and nervous as she glanced back and forth between him and the forest. “ _Sokka!_ What are you _running_ from?”

“ _What do you mean?_ You were _screaming_ , you—” Sokka stumbled to a halt, still unable to catch his thoughts.

He lowered his arms, confused. He turned towards her.

Shock flashed over Katara’s face, then shame settled in quick behind.

Sokka glanced down before she could hide it. Light glinted off blue ceramic, trailing down where it disappeared under paper and ink. A very familiar, very stolen scroll sat on a dirty tree stump five feet from where Sokka was stood, breathless, and Katara remained between, trying to recapture Sokka’s attention as anger boiled up past the ice in his chest.

The day had splintered with that scroll. They had landed at the small Earth Kingdom port for supplies— food, flint, all the things Katara and Aang had managed to wash down the river during their “training” session. Sokka had been annoyed, sure, but it had been a mistake. Mistakes were fine. There were going to be a lot of them with this whole “take Aang to destroy the Fire Nation” thing they had gotten themselves into, and he had planned on them accordingly. What he _hadn’t_ planned for, was them stepping foot on that trading ship that morning, but they had. Or Katara finding a stupid water bending scroll, and _stealing_ it, but she _had._

Katara put her hands up placatingly, brows already drawn. “Sokka, wait, I can expla-“

“ _Katara!_ ” He shouted at her, fury and disbelief heating his face. Suddenly it clicked, Katara’s screams had been her practicing, her yelling at herself or the scroll or the water out of frustration. There was no _threat_ , no _danger_. But that did little to ease his anger now. He _knew_ this thing had been bad news the second Katara had pulled it off its dusty shelf, and now he was _right_. Sokka leveled his sister with a sharp, disbelieving scowl. “Are you _serious_? You stole it, _again!?_ ”

“I was just-!”

“Just _what!?_ ” Sokka lunged, snatching the scroll before Katara could hope to stop him. He held it up, shaking it in her face, deliberately, mean. “You gave this to _Aang!_ You said it was _his_ and you _stole_ it from him!”

“I was only borrowing it!” She argued back, throwing her arm up to try and take it, but Sokka stepped away from her, keeping it firmly out of her reach. Katara exhaled, enraged herself. “He wouldn’t _care!_ ”

“Then _why_ are you out here? In the dead of _night?_ While we’re all _asleep!?_ ” Sokka sidestepped her again as she made one last attempt to rip the paper from his hands. Sokka wrapped the scroll up tight, glaring at her, the parchment creaking as he clenched his fist. “This thing almost got us _cut to pieces_ , and now you’re disappearing from camp just so you can practice making some water float!? Do you know how _dangerous that is!?_ ”

“I-“

“What if someone found you, _huh?_ What if those pirates came back looking for this and you’re out here all alone, Katara, _no one knows where you are!_ ”

“Sokka, I’m _sorry_ , okay?” Katara faltered, wilting under Sokka’s fuming disappointment. She pleaded again, her voice catching in her throat. “Just- just give it to me, I’ll put it _back_.”

“No way.” Sokka scoffed, securing the scroll around his belt. “This stays with _me_ now. Obviously, you can’t be trusted with it!”

Katara’s face twisted.

“I just wanted to practice without-!“

“Without _what!?_ ” He interrupted.

“Without feeling like I’m completely _worthless_ _at it!_ ” She snapped. Tears began to flood down her cheeks. A disgusted sob tore through her teeth as she threw her head into her hands, her shoulders shaking.

Sokka stopped short. Guilt set in like snow over his temper. His heart tightened.

“ _Katara_...” He began, raising a hand to gently hold his sister’s arm.

“I _know_ , okay!” She ripped herself away, throwing her hands down, exasperated. She stamped up to the water’s edge, away from Sokka, and glared out at it. Then her wrath shot back to the scroll tied to Sokka’s side. “I _know_ that I have a lot to learn, and that it takes _patience_ and _time_ but Aang gets it so _quickly_ and I-!” Katara choked, pounding her hands against her ribs, distraught. The water behind her followed suit, cutting sharply and shuddering out with her. “Waterbending was _my_ thing. My _one_ thing I was good at and he’s already _so much better!_ ”

She inhaled sharply, breath short. The river behind her rippled one last time before the current broke through, carrying on as it had before. Sokka watched as Katara gradually deflated again, her arms folding around herself, trembling. Temper ebbing, guilt like snow.

Sokka took a step forward and pulled her to him.

His arms came around and rested on top of hers, holding. He let his hand settle on her back, rubbing circles as slowly and smoothly as he could. She shook, biting back sobs as they came, but Sokka stayed as he was, patiently soothing, until eventually he felt Katara let herself sink into him. He felt her heart calm, her breath even.

“Katara, are you _serious?_ ” He spoke softly into her hair, when her sniffling had quieted. “I know I don’t go all gooey on you too often, and if you tell _anyone_ I said this I’ll deny it, but- _sis_. You’re literally the _best_ waterbender I _know_.”

Katara snorted, angerly wiping away her tears. Sokka shook her, though, leaning back to give her a look.

“I’m not just saying that!” He let on a smile, pride welling up bright in his voice with ease. “It’s like Aang said, you taught yourself! All by yourself! Can anyone _else_ say that? Aang already learned airbending, and, well, I know they’re not _the same_ , but- Being familiar with techniques and stuff, right? That something you never had.”

Katara scoffed again, but then considered him for a moment through her wet lashes.

“Do you really think that?” She sniffed, rubbing her eye into her sleeve.

“Of course I do.” Sokka kept adamant, pulling Katara’s face into his hands and beaming down at her. “Just wait until we get to the North Pole, _then_ you’ll see. The second you get a master— you’re going to be _unstoppable_.”

Relief slowly broke across Katara’s face then. He watched as Katara settled into his reassurance and grow. Her spine went straighter, her voice went brave.

“Of _course_ I will be.” She bragged, spirited and confident and voice still a little rough. “I already kick ass now, can you imagine?”

She looked up to Sokka again, hesitantly seeking approval.

“ _Devastating_ force of water magic, _definitely_.” Sokka nodded enthusiastically, then threw an arm around Katara’s shoulder. “When have I ever been wrong?”

“Y-“

“ _Never_. That’s right!” He exclaimed happily.

Katara giggled into his side, rolling her eyes at him. And they settled like that, for a moment, sharing the relief between them.

But the moment didn’t last.

Soon Katara was quiet again, wrapped in her brother. Tension seeped into the clearing around them, mixing thick into the air.

“Are you going to tell him?” She asked softly after a stretch of quiet, eyes cast down.

Sokka squeezed her once, then let her go, steadying a hand on her shoulder to meet her gaze. “I won’t if you don’t sneak off again, _ever_. Promise?”

Katara glanced up, gratitude shining in her eyes.

“ _Ok_ ,” Katara nodded, agreeing. She wiped the last of the wetness from her face with Sokka’s tunic. “I won’t, I promise.”

Sokka chuckled, pushing her away playfully.

“How about you go back to bed and _stay_ there this time?”

“You’re not the boss of me.” Katara snorted back, but her tone was light and easy, tired. She yawned, stretching as she started off into the forest. But a few steps in she paused to turn.

Sokka stood left on the bank, watching her go and not moving to follow.

She stared at him, confused.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“I’ll be there. I got to-“ Sokka unthinkingly made a gesture around his head— _calm down,_ he thought out to her. _I’m not..._

His heart was still uneasy in his chest, he could feel his limbs shake. Adrenaline ebbing from his blood and leaving him to withdrawal from it. He realized, suddenly, that he wasn’t explaining himself. Katara still stood in front of him, confused, and now more worried at his silence. He smirked at her awkwardly, anyway, hoping he could hide it.

She could see it, though. _Had_ been seeing it, he guessed. When he would jolt awake and accidentally wake her too. When he had started moving further and further away from her bedroll, complaining about how her snoring had gotten worse. When the bags under his eyes had turned from just a little dark to bruised.

But she had kept it to herself, away from Aang, away from _her,_ even. And Sokka was grateful. Part of him was, anyway. But as they stood now, Sokka thought she’d crack, that she’d finally ask him if he was okay. If he wasn’t completely breaking down with the reality of just how dangerous the world was, and just how young they were, being thrown into it. How every time he closed his eyes there were ghosts, and every time he let himself think about the future there was fire.

Sokka wouldn’t though. He’d tell her that, if she’d just ask. He wouldn’t break. He wouldn’t because _she_ wasn’t. They were both going through this, so Sokka wouldn’t say anything. _He_ was the oldest. _He_ was supposed to be comforting _her,_ not the other way around.

“ _Sokka_ —”

“I’m _fine,_ Katara.” He huffed a laugh, waving her off as reassuringly as possible. “I’ll see you when you wake up.”

Katara hesitated for a second, but eventually, she nodded, letting it go. Whatever she had been about to say, swallowed.

“Alright.” Katara whispered out. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” He answered, smiling.

He watched her disappear down the trail before letting that smile drop.

He let out a heavy sigh and walked over to collapse on the stump Katara had been using as a stand.

Sokka could already feel it in his bones. Creeping in and setting deep. He wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep tonight. He stared at his hands, accepting his fate.

He couldn’t handle much more of this. He was so tired, _beyond_ tired. _Exhausted_. But he couldn’t sleep. And that was the thing. Katara’s stunt aside, his nightmares had been getting more and more out of control ever since they had left home. It was almost every other night now, where something in his dreams would jolt him awake, and then he would be so panicked and terrified he couldn’t even think of sleep again until hours later, when it was too late. He had made a habit of starting on chores instead, quietly moving around camp, getting packed, stirring the fire, and letting his body calm itself down. But because of the whole scroll fiasco, a fire hadn’t seemed like a good idea that night, and neither had unpacking. So he had nothing left to do but sit and stare at the water until the sun rose. 

_Katara_ wasn’t having nightmares, though. Not even Aang was.

So there was just something wrong with _him._

The scroll tapped against the wood as he settled. He stared down at it, the swirling image of its water symbol glinting white against the moon’s glare.

Sokka had half a mind to throw the damned thing in the river, then it would be no one’s problem. Katara and Aang would just have to wait till they got to the North, where they would be safe, and far away from _pirates_ , or _firebenders_ , or _crazy banished princes._

Sokka sighed, though, and left the scroll tied against his waist. Getting rid of it would be more of a hassle than keeping the stupid thing. Aang and Katara would chew him out if he purposely hindered their training. It was important, he guessed. His chin hit his palm.

The river was peaceful that night, at least, frogs calling to each other, fish jumping to catch mosquitoes skimming the water. His pole had been washed down the river that morning, and Sokka tried not to feel too jaded about it now. He kicked his feet out, mindlessly wrenching out rocks from the soil with his boot and gathering the flat ones to one side. He picked up his first stone, brushing the dirt off and running his fingers over the smooth, cool surface.

Sokka jerked his arm back, wrist cocked, then shot it forward.

One, two, three times the rock skipped across the water before breaking into the current with a satisfying _sploosh_. 

He picked up another, then another, sending each rock across the river with several skips. He had shown Katara how to do this. His dad had shown him.

Sokka’s last rock was anything but flat, but he had stripped the dirt around him from any other contenders, so. With a huff he sent the rock hurtling out, its speed sending it skipping just once before its weight pulled it down. It broke the water’s surface with a jolt, and the splash that rang out was stark against the night. Sokka listened to it echo down the river bend, channeled by the trees. He listened as, if one by one, the fish went still. Then the crickets. The frogs.

The world was silent, suddenly. All that was left was the trickle of the current rushing past. Sokka sat, entranced by it, then confused. And then steadily, from a distance, a new noise hung thick in the air. It was low, quiet, but _deep_. It sat weirdly in his chest as he looked as far down the river as he could, eyes straining. 

Sokka stood, slowly stepping towards the edge of the bank to try and see past the trees that curved around the bend. The noise grew louder and louder as Sokka’s eyes followed the shadows of the forest up, squinting at the two tallest trees against the night sky. He tilted his head. They were _weird_ , somehow. Pointy. Webbed. Almost like— _wings_ …

Metal shrieked out from the water, like steel on ice. The jagged sound shivered up Sokka’s spine as he dropped instantly to a crouch, terrified. It reverberated into the air, followed by a deafening, mechanical _CLUNK._ The second the echoes steadied, Sokka sprinted towards the bushes where the sounds had come from. He pulled back branches slowly, sifting leaves through his fingers until he revealed those wings— _sails_ — revolting against the sky. Sokka’s eyes then flashed to the smaller boat off to the side of the ship, catching on the blaring red insignia painted across its dark grey metal.

“ _You’ve got to be kidding me!_ ” He hissed out, scrambling back before he could be seen. They _had_ been looking for them. He _knew it,_ and somehow now _Zuko_ was with them too. Sokka felt panic lace into his veins. How _unlucky_ could they _possibly—_

Steel went gliding past his throat, Sokka only _just_ pulling back from the blade before it sliced skin. He shouted as the man above him swung again, laughing as Sokka dodged him.

Sokka kicked out, landing a hit to the pirate’s side and taking his chance to roll back to his feet. He stumbled, snatching up his boomerang as the pirate lunged once more. Sokka flicked his arm out, the blunt edge of his weapon hitting its mark and ringing against the man’s skull, sending him falling backwards into the bushes, unconscious.

He sprinted towards the trail, determined to get to cover, to get to camp and warn the others, but then suddenly, a hooked spear flew out of the tree line, hurtling towards his legs to try and catch his footing. Another pirate jumped out at the same moment, swinging his mallet high and aiming for Sokka’s nose.

Sokka ripped his foot away and ducked under the pirate’s arm before his head could meet hammer. Desperate and nearly cornered, he spun away from the woods, now with two men on his heels, swerving as more hooks swung towards his neck and back.

A fourth man jumped out before Sokka could react. He instantly recognized him as the one who had been advertising on the peer that morning. The scrawny pirate smiled down at him crookedly as he managed to grab Sokka’s arm, wrenching it behind his back as Sokka screamed out. He felt as the scroll was snatched from his side, his belt tearing with it. Sokka jostled as the pirate shouted and held the paper up in victory.

Momentarily distracted, Sokka fought his grip, managing to pry himself away just as another man came tearing out from the trees after him, sending him racing towards the river. This one was Zuko’s, his armor clanking as he chased Sokka towards the rocky shore. But just as he saw water, just as his foot left the edge of the bank, already prepared to jump and take his chances with the current, he was ripped back by the collar of his tunic.

Sokka stumbled. A strong grip wrapped around his waist, snatching his flailing wrists in the process and throwing him backwards until his chest met tree. Sokka’s breath was knocked out of him, cheek scraping against the rough bark as the body behind him pressed him forward, keeping him there. Sokka struggled again, but his arm was twisted higher behind his back in response, sending pain shooting up his shoulder every time he moved.

Sokka threw his head back to bite, to _scream_ , but then, froze.

The figure leaned in.

Sokka stared in horror as the shadows slowly slipped away, his heart sprinting as silver moonlight revealed a pair of golden eyes, and a scar.

Zuko smiled. Lips close and voice low.

“ _I can save you from the pirates_.”


End file.
